Something Great

48. Actions speak louder than words, and all that

Maddi waits until she's sure Lucas has fallen asleep before she moves out of his grip. He mumbles something as she gets out of bed, but he stays asleep. She races to the kitchen so fast she stumbles on the steps, slamming her knees into the wood and scraping them up.

She holds her breath and waits to see if Lucas wakes up. When she's confident he hasn't stirred at all, she steels herself to look at her injuries.

Nothing too bad. Just one of her knees is bleeding, the other is only bruised. She's just thankful her boobs managed to come out unscathed, since she's still completely naked. She gets to her feet and scrambles to find a napkin to clean her knee.

Once it's stopped bleeding, she tip-toes back into the Villa, careful not to wake anyone up. She slips through the bedroom silently, and grabs a throw from the couch to cover herself as she heads upstairs. She locks herself in the Beach Hut, and falls onto the loveseat and cries.

What the hell happened out there. She racks her brain trying to think through what Lucas did. Did he truly hurt her or is she overreacting? He wouldn't have actually hurt her... no, he cares too much for her. He was angry with her, but he didn't hurt her. He just... punished her? 

She groans frustratingly. She's overreacting. She has to be. She's just emotional and tired and—

The door opens.

"Maddi?" A deep voice whispers in the darkness.

"Yes?" She replies softly.

The door closes and Ibrahim joins her on the loveseat. "What's going on? Why are you alone in here?"

She tightens the blanket around herself, "I just needed to be alone for a minute."

"Did something happen?" He puts his arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"I—" she chokes on her sobs, "I don't know."

He pulls her in for a hug and sighs, "Did Lucas do something?"

"I don't know..." she whispers.

There's a moment of silence before Rahim clears his throat. "If he's said something to upset you, or if he's hurt you in any way, you can tell me."

Maddi cringes. She remembers Lucas' warning not to talk about their personal relationship with anyone. She can't betray his trust again. She can't be punished again. "No, I'm fine, Rahim. I promise."

He pulls away, "If you were fine, you'd be out there with Lucas, and not in here crying where no one will see."

She bites her lip, "I just don't know how to be in a proper relationship. I'm scared all the time that I'm going to mess it up again."

"That's the thing about relationships... it's two people coming together. There's going to be bumps in the road. You're going to mess it up. But when you truly care about someone, you'll forgive each other and grow stronger together."

Maddi wipes the last of her tears from her face, careful of her still-sore cheek. "He seems quick to anger, not forgiveness."

Ibrahim sighs, "Maybe he just needs time. You've barely been together. You've just met, for Christ's sake. He's insecure, it's as clear as day. You might be scared about pushing him away, but he's scared of losing you to someone else."

"He doesn't trust me when I tell him I'm all in for him."

"Trust takes time to build. You can prove it to him with your actions though." He shrugs. "Actions speak louder than words, and all that."

She gives him a small smile, "You're right. Thank you, Rahim." She hugs him and sighs. "You've been such an amazing friend to me."

He smiles as they pull apart. "Of course! You've been a good friend to me, too. If you ever need me, don't hesitate to ask. No need to run through the Villa naked."